Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, Cllr Nqaba Bhanga has called on all residents to take extra caution following an increase in COVID-19 active cases and hospital admissions in the City.
Following the recent COVID-19 Joint Operating Centre (JOC) meeting, Mayor Bhanga said the increasing positive cases were a cause for concern, as the numbers had jumped over the 100 mark in the last two weeks. Currently sitting at 154 active cases as at 17 May 2021, NMBM has been highlighted as the City with the highest active cases in the Eastern Cape with Summerstrand, Gelvandale, Lorraine and Greenbushes identified as the concerning areas for now.
“The numbers are increasing in our City. There is a threat of a possible third wave and we need residents to work with all of us to avert such from happening. The numbers are going in the wrong direction,” Mayor Bhanga said.
“We have learnt with concern that there were 13 new positive cases in the last 24 hours in our City. The cases seem to fluctuate for now between eight and 30 cases daily, but the department of health tells us there is an increase in cases daily. The private hospitals have reported during the meeting that they have noted an increase in hospital admissions too,” he said.
Currently there are 12 patients admitted in private hospitals and six in public hospitals, and a total of three deaths were recorded in the last two weeks.
NMBM Disaster Management Chairperson Shane Brown said law enforcement officers had noticed that residents walked around and gathered in groups without wearing their masks in public
“We are really worried that people seem to have stopped wearing their masks. Our law enforcement agencies will intensify law enforcement in this area. We cannot afford to have a third wave that is why we are urging residents to remember that COVID-19 is not over.
“More importantly, we are calling on all residents who are 60 years and above to register and vaccinate. Getting vaccinated is really the only way we can get some kind of normalcy back in our lives. The rollout will take some time; it will not be an overnight process but we need to get as many people as possible to get vaccinated,” Brown said.
Citizens who are 60 years and older can register as follows:
- You can now register on the COVID Whatsapp number by sending “REGISTER” to 0600123456.
- You can also register by SMS by dialing *134*832*your ID number#.
- If you don’t have an ID number just dial *134*832#. The services are zero rated and so you do not need data or airtime.
- You do not need a smartphone to be able to register by SMS.
- If you encounter any issues whilst registering, you can call the COVID-19 hotline 0800 029 999.
- COVID-19 vaccine will be administered for free at point of service.
